Oil and gas well sand tester



Sept. 4, 1928.

w. O. HARRIS 011. AND GAS WELL SAND TESTER Filed Dec. 21, 1927 the hole.

Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM O. HARRIS, OF OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA.

OTL AND GAS WELL SAND TESTER.

Application filed December 21, 1927. Serial No. 241,552.

My invention relates to improvement in oil and as well sand tester.

The 0 j ects of my invention are to provide a device of the classdescribed which will be new, novel, simple, cheap, strong, durable,efiicient and of utility; which will make it possible at any timedesired to make a test of the sand in a well without the necessity ofeasing the hole, or well; which will under such test prevent the cavingin of the hole, or well, and the possible consequent loss of the hole,or well; makes practically a standard rig out of a rotary drillingoutfit in so far as testing the sand is concerned; will be cheap inoperation; will save the necessity of spendin thousands of dollars incasing in each well drilled by a rotary rig; and will accomplisheflicicntly the-purposes for which my device is intended.

At the present time in the drilling of a well with a rotary drillingoutfit it is necessary to reduce the size of the hole from that which isthen being used. That is, when a cap rock. or a. change of formation isfound which indicates the approach of a producing sand it is necessaryto reduce the size of the hole from that which is then being used and tothereby form what is known as a rathole, and to thereafter drill by abit of a reduced size into the formation therebelow suspected of beingproductive of either gas or oil. When a sufiicient dept-h has beenreached therebelow and a test is desired to be made it is necessary toset a string of easing from the top of the well to the seat made by therat-hole by the reducing of the size of Before the sand can be testedthis must be cemented into the hole and can not thereafter be removed.This necessitates the loss of that string of easing. If no production isfound then the hole is continued on the inside of the set casing andnecessarily of a reduced size to a greater depth in said reduced sizedhole. If a formation is reached causing the belief of another sandhaving been found the above described process is of,

necessity repeated and a new rat-hole formed and another set of casingis installed and set from the top of the hole to the second reducedsized hole at said rat-hole. And if production is not found here thiscasing is also lost since it too has to be cemented. This processcontinues unless a paying sand is found until it can not go further inthe sized hole then being drilled and the size of the hole then isreduced to such an extent that a now well must be begun and practicallyall of this casing is lost. This-results in the loss of the hole or wellbefore the desired hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in. theaccompanying one-sheet drawing, and pointed out in the claims heretoappended; it being understood that various changes in the form,proportion, size, shape and minordetails of construction, within thescope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or principle of; the invention, or sacrificing any of theadv-antages thereof.

The novel features, invention and other objects will be more fully shownin the specification, claims, and accompanying one-sheet drawing, ofwhich,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, partly in section; Fig. 2is'a perspective view showing a breakable bottom cap, a ring holdingInen'ibcr and their cap sheath; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portionof the device showing the presence of a ball-valve; Fig. 4 is asectional view of the ball-valve and its outer casing; and Fig. 5 is anelevational view of a reducing nipple.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures.

One embodiment for the accomplishing of the purposes for which myinvention is intended is as follows:

The larger sized drilling hole is shown at 1 and the reduced or smallersize is shown at 2; the drill stem is shown at 3 with an upperbroken-off portion at 4 and a. lower broken-off portion at 5. I providea packer 6 around the drill stem 1 constituting it in that instance apacker stem 7 The object of the packer 6 is to entirely fill what isknown to those familiar with the art as the rathole 8 formed of thejuncture of the larger hole 1 and the smaller hole 2 and permit saidpacker to be securely held in said rat-hole, and to permit the partstherebelow to depend in the smaller hole 2. At the packer 6 on the lowerend of the drill stem 3 I provide an ex.

terna lly threaded portion 9. I also provide a perforated casing 10having a pluralityof erforations 11 for the admission therein fi'om theoutside of water oil, gas and the like, from the portion of t e smallerhole 2. Said perforated casing is sealed at the bottom end 12 with heavmetal. -At its upper end it is externally tireaded to match the threads9 and the circumferential size of the lower end of the packer stem 7. Ialso revide a reducing nipple 13 provided for a s 1ort space wit-h upperexternal threads 14 their external circumference beingof the samecircumferential size as the threaded portion of said packer stem 7 andthe threaded portlon 150i said perforated casing 10,said externallythreaded portion 14 being adapted to fit between said lower end of saidacker stem and upper end of said perforate casing; a tool.

joint 16 internallly threaded at 16 is provided for securely ioldingsaid reduced nipple and said packer stem and said perforated casing in aunion.

The lower end of said reduced nip le 13 is provided with externalthreads 17. elow the lower end thereof I provide a breakable bottom cap18 for closing the lowerend of said reduced nipple, and a ring gasketmember 19 therebelow held in place b an internally threaded open endedcap s'eath 21 for holding said breakable bottom cap 18 and said member19 securely against the lower end of said reduced nipple 13. The lowerportion of nipple 13 is threaded 13 to receive threads 20 on cap sheath21.- An ordinary plunger 22 for inserting into the drill stem forbreaking said bot-tom cap is provided. I also provide a ball 23preferably covered with a coat of rubber 24, or other suitablesubstance, for making a valve connection, as

' will be more fully described later.

In operation in the drilling of a well b a rotary ri with my inventionfor a deep we 1 they usually start with a 14 inch hole for surfacecasing. The surface casing is usually set at about forty or fift feetthen they ordinaril drill down to t e first cap rock or formatlon thatwould likely have a roductive sand under it with a ten inch bit withoutcas-v ing. The hole at that size is then stopped and the hole reduced toa six inch bit forming what is known to the art as arat-hole. They thendrill down into the formation below. If the formation is found favorablefor oil or gas they then remove the drill stem 3 and unite packer stem 7with the lower end of the drill stem by tool joint union 5. The drillstem with the packer stem therebelow is then lowered into the hole fromthe top until the packer '6 on packer stem 7 fits into the ratole 8tigthly like a cork in a bottle below said packer 6 and above erforatedcasing 10 joined at its up r end y tool joint union to the lower en ofsaid packer stem. The reduced valve nipple 13 will be securely seatedbetween the lower end of the acker stem 7 and the up er end of the perorated casing 10 and the reakable plate or cap 18 see lrely held inplace by ring 19 and cap sheath 21. When t is set plunger 22 is dro pedinto the drill stem at the top of the well and falls against breakableplate or cap 18 breaking the same and by its weight goes on down to thelower end 12 of said perforated casing 10. This will relieve all of thewater pressure which will go through the perforated casin up into thepacker stem and drill stem. I

the sand struck is (productive of gas or of oil and gas combine it willin a few seconds come out of the top of the drill stem at the top of thewell which is what is known as going over the top. If instead of sandproductive of as or of oil and gas combined it is of oil san only afterwaiting a reasonable length of time, say thirty minutes or an hour andpermitting the oil to raise throu h the perforations in the casing 10 upinto t e packer stem and drill stem, ball 23 which is preferably coatedby rubber 24 or other suitable material, is dropped into the top of thehole and goes down into the drill stem and through the packer stem tothe reduced valve nipple. This ball may be of metal or may be filledwith shot or other suitable substance so as to make the same sink ineither oil or water or other liquid. Said ball then sinks into thereduced valve ni 1e and is seated therein forming a cork anddiolding allof the liquid in the packer stem. and drill stem thereabove so t at itcan be drawn out and tested. The taking out of the oil can be done inany of the ordmar and usual ways or it can be done by with rawing thedrill stem and packer stem. Thereafter the tests for oil or salt wateror other kind of liquid can.

be made. If no production is found the packer stem containing myinvention there elow is removed from the drill stem by loosening thetool joint above the packer stem and the ten inch bit is then refittedon the drill stem and the regular ten inch hole proceeded with withoutreduction as to size. This is continued until it is believed anotherfavorable formation has been reached and the above proceedin asheretofore detailed is repeated. It will be seen by those familiar w1ththe art to which my invention pertains that under my invention the drillstem is used in lieu of the casing and that no casing has to be set orcemented and therefore none is lost thereby, it will also be seen thatthere is no necessary reduction of the size of the hole after havingmade one or a dozen tests under my devic It will also be seen that if aproducing well is found and the sand being tested under in invention andthe well goes over the top a 1 that is necessary to be done to do whatis known in the art as mudding it in until the casing can be procured,is to raise the stops the rat-hole therebydett-ing the mud pressure backon the sand in the bottom of the plunger means for breaking said welland holding it there until my invention and the drill stem are removedfrom the hole and the ordinary and usual procedure in getting ready forthe operation of a producing well is carried out.

I claim:

1. A device of the classdescribed for testing the sands of oil and "aswells, comprising means for corking up the hole adjacent its lower end,-a perforated casing having its lower end securely capped, its upper endbeing adapted to be securely fastened to the .lower end of said corkingmeans, a reduced nipple valve being seated between the lower end of saidcorking means and the upper end of sai'd. pe1'forated casing, itssmaller end ex tending downwardly and being adapted to be normallyclosed by a breakable cap for preventing the flow of liquidtherethrough, a gasket ring member and an open ended capsheath forholding said breakable ca in lace, rea able cap, a ball valve means forclosing the lower neck portion ofsaid nipple valve and shutting off theinflow-of li uidthereinto.

2. A device of t e class described for testing oil and gas sands inwells, comprising a drill stem, a packer stem and packer, said drillstem being adapted to be securely fastened at its lower end to. theupper end of said packer stem, said packer being adapted to fit tightlyon a shoulderbetween an upper large hole and an under smaller hole-inthe well and to seal said hole thereat, a perforated casing, its upperend beingadapted to be fastened to the lower end of said packer stem,its lower end being adapted to be securely closed, a reduced nlpplevalve being adapted to be securely seated etween said upper end of saidperforated casing and said lower end of said packer stem its reduced endextending downwardly, and being adapted to be' normallyclosed by abreakable cap, for preventing liquid from entering thereat untildesired, and at certain periods to receive a ball valve inside its lowerneck portion, a gasket ring member for positionin said breakable cap, anopen ended cap sheath for securely holding said breakable cap and saidring gasket member normally securely against the lower end of saidnipple valve, means for breaking said breakable cap, a heavy ball valvebein coated externally for tightly fitting said nipple valve in itslower inside neck portion and for preventing the fiow of liquidtherefrom from inside and thereinto from there surrounding.

3. The combination with a drill stem, packer stem and packer, saidpacker being adapted to fit tightly in a shoulder between the largerhole and a smaller hole therebelow of an oil and, gas well, of a devicefor testing oil and gas sands without using and setting a string ofeasing, of the class described, comprising a perforated casing having anopen upper end and a closed lower end, a reduced nipple valve beingadapted to be seated between the lower end of said packer stem and theupper end of said perforated casing its reduced smaller end extendingdownwardly, a breakable cap for closing the lower end of said nipplevalve and shutting out oil, gas and liquid therefrom when desired, aring gasket member and an open ended cap sheath for positioning saidbreakable cap, a suitable plunger for dropping in said drill stem andfor breaking said breakable cap when the admitting of oil,i

gas and liquid therethrough is desired, a suitable ball valve having aresilient outer coating being adapted to be seated inside the neck ofsaid nipple valve adjacent its lower end for holding in said packer stemand drill stem oil and other liquids.

.WILLIAM O. HARRIS.

